Week 1 Success

 All three kids made it through one week at school. It actually felt somewhat normal, and everyone is loving their class!

Jay and I were even able to catch a quick day date for lunch before picking up Jacob.

Tuttle has been requesting a haircut for a few weeks, and we found the perfect place, an old school barber shop near our new house. I swear the haircut makes Tuttle look 10 years older.

We enjoyed a low key weekend at home for the most part. After Tuttle's first baseball practice, we swam with new neighbors, watched movies, napped, and did some yard work. One big highlight was when a neighbor gave us a small box turtle to release into the pond behind our house. Maggie desperately wanted to keep it, but she reluctantly watched it swim out to its new home.

We are hoping and praying for another healthy week at school. A little taste of normalcy has made everyone in the Thorne family much happier! 

Pre-K for Jacob

 Jacob went to bed ready to start his new school this morning.

We made a deal that if he wore my pick of "baby clothes" on the first day that he could wear "dude clothes" the rest of the year. This is the end of an era. :(

Drop-Off looked a little different (doesn't everything?) during all the virus precautions, so we arrived to the church playground a few minutes early to snap some pictures since I could not walk him in.

He had no problem happily jumping out of the car and heading into the building with his teacher during carpool.

When I picked up him, he told me he wants to go back every day. I know this is going to be a great year for Jacob!

We also added another component to our school schedule. Maggie and Tuttle started taking the bus to school this morning. It pulls right up to our driveway and saves me 45+ minutes in the car. Tuttle loved the idea. Maggie was disgusted. I was thrilled to have a few minutes to eat breakfast alone before Jacob woke up. :)

Sea Buddies

 Jacob and I attended his Meet the Teacher for his Pre-K class this week. He was very excited to have his turn to start school!

Jacob loved the scavenger hunt around the room to find things like the calendar, book shelf, and most importantly, the treasure box. The lead teacher was unable to be there, but the assistant teacher, Ms. G. was so sweet. We are looking forward to a wonderful year in the Sea Buddies Class!

To celebrate our final day of summer, it only made sense to visit the Georgia Aquarium to see all of Jacob's favorite sea buddies! It was a different experience with the pandemic prevention measures, but it guaranteed a small crowd. Today was the perfect day with my shark loving boy.

After the longest summer break in history, all THREE Thorne kids will be in school starting Monday. All the prayers that it stays that way....

Soccer and School Update

Tuttle was asked by his former soccer coach to play goalie in a tournament this past weekend. He was honored that the team wanted him to help out, so we made the drive back to Brookhaven to defend the goal for Buckhead United. 

It was extremely HOT, the boys were crushed at every game, and Tuttle was injured (He is fine now. Just a sore wrist), but I loved watching my boy back on the field. It was definitely a learning tournament for the team. Although Tuttle is broadening his sports experience with baseball this season, soccer will always be important to our family. 

We have successfully made it to another week of face to face school for Tuttle and Maggie. Two high school have already closed for two weeks due to positive COVID cases, but I am praying and crossing my fingers every day that we do not receive the dreaded phone call. The big kids have made a lot of new friends, love their teachers, and seem to have better attitudes in general. We decided to prioritize their mental health over the fear of catching the virus, and it was the best decision for our family.

Jacob starts Pre-K next Monday! Hallelujah! He desperately needs to meet little buddies and have a change of scenery and toys.

Jay reminded me that Jacob will most likely lose most of our favorite "baby" words he still uses and to document them, so we never forget. The top winners are breastkiss for breakfast and blanna for banana. I melt when he uses his pronouns incorrectly- like "Hims my friend." The last baby traits are fading fast, and I am not ready!

First Day of School 2020

We were packed and ready for the first day of school at Arnold Mill Elementary.

It was an early morning after five months of sleeping in. The 6am wake up call will probably guarantee everyone jumps back into bed tonight without a struggle. Jacob wanted to know why I woke everyone up in the middle of the night for doughnuts. :)

Tuttle and Maggie are looking forward to meeting new friends and finding a sense of normalcy in their lives. I know this is going to be a GREAT year!